BOULDER - For a freshman on Day 1 of college football practice, even the basics - prepractice stretching, moving from drill to drill, etc. - have changed.

And not just a little.

"Organizationally, it's a little bit of chaos for them," University of Colorado passing coordinator Eric Kiesau said after alternately prodding and shepherding a handful of recruits through a two-hour introductory session Monday morning.

Nowadays, more is expected from college freshmen on almost every practice field.

But at CU, particularly from receivers coach Kiesau's position, the expectations are stratospheric. They have to be after the Buffaloes' struggles with air sickness for most of last season.

Kiesau is counting on incoming freshman wideouts Josh Smith, Kendrick Celestine and Markques Simas to ratchet up the overall competition and raise CU's passing game from the Division I-A depths (116th nationally in 2006).

All have received the same message, as have the veterans, from Kiesau: "All jobs are open. . . . I want the best guys to play, and if that's six freshmen, it'll be six freshmen. If it's six seniors, it'll be six seniors. If it's a mix, it'll be a mix."

Coaches can't watch summer seven-on-seven passing work, but news of playmakers spread quickly.

Celestine, a high school 100-meter prodigy (best time was 10.6 seconds), "was taking us to town," senior linebacker Jordon Dizon said. "His name's been passed by word of mouth; he's Mr. Kendrick now. For a lot of reasons, our offense is going to be night-and-day different."

But Celestine was a Day 1 no- show; he had trouble with airline connections leaving Mamou, La., and was expected to arrive Monday night.

The dreadlocked Smith, of Moorpark, Calif., also shone under the summer sun, while Simas, of San Diego, arrived for a three-week stint in June, then missed a portion of the seven- on-seven work for a July family trip. He returned to Boulder three days ago.

All three now are eager to hold Kiesau to his word.

"We were told, 'All positions are open - go out and fight for one,' " Smith said. "I feel right now I'm picking it up just as good as the other guys. The playing field is level, but I'm just trying to better the team each day."

Added Simas, who said his conditioning suffered because of the family trip: "I looked at the veteran guys and they're good. But I feel like if I work hard, learn the playbook and (coaches) see the talent, then I'll have the opportunity to play."

But until camp progresses, predicting a youth movement at wideout is premature. CU returns seven experienced players; no newcomer has even made the depth chart.

Still, Kiesau is anxious to test the new blood.

"I'm excited to see those guys a week down the road when everything is in and they're more comfortable and not left so big-eyed by the seniors," he said. "But they've got a long way to go."

ETC.: Linebacker Michael Sipili said he "feels horrible" about the June brawling incident that led to his arrest and indefinite suspension. "I feel bad for my mistake. I let my team down," he said. Sipili has an Aug. 16 court date. . . . Freshman offensive lineman Sione Tau weighed in at 334 1/2 pounds. He hopes to play at about 320. . . . A morning class conflict put 6-foot-8, 320-pound freshman offensive lineman Ryan Miller, CU's highest profile recruit, in the afternoon session. . . . For depth purposes, coach Dan Hawkins said switching Marcus Burton from "will" to "mike" linebacker is a possibility. He said junior R.J. Brown, Sipili's replacement, is "tough and smart." . . . Receiver Cameron Ham suffered a cracked fibula during afternoon drills.

brooksb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5466